Waste Management
General
Waste sorting follows UiB’s guidelines, and all waste must be sorted by type into five main categories:
- problem waste,
- hazardous waste,
- radioactive waste,
- explosive waste,
- and consumer waste.
It is IMPORTANT that the routines are followed and that you ask if you are unsure how to handle your waste fraction. As a general principle, the person who produces the waste
- should clean up after themselves,
- sort the waste correctly,
- and move a waste container to temporary storage if necessary.
Hazardous Waste
The guidelines aim to ensure that hazardous waste is handled in a way that does not cause pollution or harm to humans or animals, or pose a danger to them. All hazardous waste must be declared using an electronic form available in UoB’s HSE-portal.
The University of Bergen has zero tolerance for the emissions of chemical substances into the sewage system. In practice, all chemical waste (solid or liquid) is considered hazardous waste regardless of its components. In some cases, chemical waste is disposed of as problem waste because it may be infectious, contain biological agents/genetically modified organisms, or involve lightly contaminated materials from research experiments, such as gloves or pipette tips.
Classification
All classified chemical waste as hazardous waste according to laws and regulations, and it must be declared and placed in the hazardous waste room for further recycling (see overview for locations).
The flowchart below serves as a guide to find the correct waste number for chemical mixtures. If you are in doubt or have any questions, please contact the waste contact at the institute. If you want to dispose of old chemicals or chemicals not in use, please contact the waste contact if further assistance is needed.
Gloves and other consumables that have been lightly contaminated with chemicals during laboratory experiments should be disposed of as problem waste.
Packaging
- As far as practically possible, it is desirable that all hazardous waste be delivered in its original packaging. Place the original packaging in a red box in the waste room after declaring the waste.
- If this is not possible, use our own containers, boxes, or plastic cans that meet the requirements for storing the specific waste. Several smaller cans and boxes should be collected in a red waste box - each red box should only contain waste with the same waste number. Remember to separate chemicals that react with each other into several red boxes.
- Use blue containers for organic solvents with halogen (more than 70% organic phase).
For larger quantities of liquid waste, you can use plastic canisters (10 liters) available in the hazardous waste room (see overview map).
N.B.! Liquid waste that produces or can produce gas/high vapor pressure should not be collected in glass bottles! In such cases, there is a risk that the bottle will crack/explode!
Declaration and labelling
One who has generated waste must fill out an electronic form called ”Declaration form for hazardous waste at UoB”. The declaration form can be found on UoB’s website under hazardous waste in the HSE-gateway.
Once completed, it is automatically sent to the waste contact at the institute and to the waste holder by pressing SEND at the bottom of the form.
This summary of the declaration form that you receive by email should be printed and attached to all red boxes or cans containing hazardous waste.
Collection
Place the labelled hazardous waste in the room for hazardous waste in the first floor (See map of waste disposal rooms).
The person responsible for the hazardous waste room and the operation manager will make sure routines for collection is followed. Hazardous waste is collected as needed.
Explosive waste
Waste that is explosive in nature is difficult to transport to an approved receiving centre. All those that work with chemicals must therefore make themselves aware of which compounds can be potentially explosive, either when purchased or when stored over time (for example peroxide forming chemicals).
In order to avoid problems with explosives one has to follow the routines for the handling of such compounds the University of Bergen has made guidelines which can be fond on their web-page. You can also find a list over common explosive chemicals (Norwegian only).
If you want to dispose of explosive waste, contact the person responsible for the hazardous waste at IBM Juha Vahokoski (Juha.Vahokoski@uib.no| 55 58 60 53 | Fellesavdelingen 6etg).
Radioactive waste
All waste from radioactive sources should be placed in black waste containers, see right for an example.
There are several types of radioactive waste and these should be treated differently.
- Nuclides that can obtain decay within one year, e.g. F-18, P-32, P-33, Cr-51, I-124.
- Nuclides that do not decay within one year. The most commonly used are H-3, C-14 and I-125. The black containers must contain a total amount of activity that is less than the exemption limit, and can be sent as radioactive waste to Senja Avfall IKS upon agreement.
- Nuclides that do not achieve decay within one year and that contain nuclides with a total amount of activity greater than the exception limit. Example here is uranyl acetate. This type of waste must be sent to IFE as radioactive waste.
Marking of black waste containers
Attach stickers (see image) to at least two sides of the black waste container. Stickers are available in the waste room of isotopes (1A109aF).
Storage of isotopes decaying within a year (e.g., F-18, P-32, and I-124)
In addition to stickers, the black waste container should be clearly marked with a well-attached declaration form with its contents:
- nuclide
- total activity
- quantity
- weight
- packing date
- name
After packing, the black waste container is placed for decay in the room at ground floor (se oversiktskart). Remember to declare the radioactive waste with the hazardous waste disposal form found on the HSE portal (Waste declaration), then the local waste contact will be notified. In addition, one must remember to weigh waste containers accurately. See (HSE-portal) for more information. When the isotope has "ticked out" after about 10 times of half-life, the waste can be treated as normal problem waste. The waste contact person takes care of this.
Shipment of waste to disposal site
For waste below the exemption limit that is sent to Senja for incineration, the waste container having warning stickers for radioactive waste are removed before shipment (unntakskolli) and marked the black waste containers with a white marker with a declaration number. Radioactive waste to IFA is sent as normal without removing stickers. The waste contact person takes care of this.
Problematic waste
What is problematic waste?
All laboratory waste that may contain biological factors or chemical residues, such as tubes, pipette tips, paper with spills/chemical spills, gloves, or similar items should be placed in yellow plastic containers. Other waste from laboratories that does not contain biological material or chemical residues can be disposed of by type.
Pathological/Biological waste
All waste containing animals and remnants of tissue, cells, microorganisms, and blood is considered problematic waste. If this waste fraction poses any infection risk, it should be autoclaved before being placed in a yellow plastic container. Additionally, sample tubes, gloves, and other contaminated materials should also be collected in yellow plastic containers.
Glass, metal and sharps waste
Needles, scalpel blades, knife blades, razor blades and other items that are sharp, cutting or piercing by nature, and waste of metal. All of these are to be placed in boxes for needles (safety boxes) or other plastic bottles. Whole or broken glass and other sharp, or piercing waste of glass, can be put into boxes for needles (safety boxes) or other plastic bottles which are then placed in a yellow plastic container. Large items of glass/broken glass are placed directly into a yellow plastic container for problematic waste.
Empty chemical bottles of glass, plastic, and medicine bottles
Empty chemical bottles of glass, medicine bottles, and empty chemical bottles of plastic should be sent for incineration in yellow plastic containers. Chemical bottles with residues should be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Cytostatica
All waste following the use of cytostatica is considered as problematic waste, but remains of stock solutions are to be regarded as hazardous waste and must be treated as such.
Gels
Tthese are such as agarose gels or polymerized acrylamide gels.
Packaging
For problematic waste, yellow plastic containers with lids must be used. The container is considered full when the waste reaches the thin line before the top (maximum fill level). When a container is full, the lid should be pressed on firmly, and the container should now be completely sealed. The container should not be filled more than it can be easily lifted. Needle boxes and/or plastic bottles with sharp and cutting waste should be placed directly into bigger yellow plastic containers. Larger glass/broken glass can be collected directly in the yellow plastic container.
Needle boxes and plastic containers for problem waste can be found in the hazardous waste storage room on the first floor (see overview map).
NB! Remember: The lid must NOT be put on before the container is full. The lid has an adhesive edge and will be glued on when pressed onto the container and cannot be removed again.
Collection of waste
Place the yellow box, after proper labeling, in the frigerated room for the problematic waste on the first floor (see overview map). Problematic waste is usually collected once a week.
Consumer waste
Consumer waste at UoB must be sorted, and there are routines for the different waste fractions. UiB has comprehensive instructions on sorting consumer waste that we use to sort our waste. We use two different types of stations for sorting: recycling stations and internal collection points for some fractions (paper, cardboard, electric, isopor etc.).
Recycling stations
In the BB building, we have recycling stations that we use for consumer waste sorting (see the picture) of various fractions: paper, cardboard and drink cartons, plastic packaging, food waste, deposit bottles, and residual waste. You can find out more information of the different fractions with the help of the QR code on the waste bins. Brief instructions are written below, and more comprehensive instructions can be found in the HS-gateway: Waste sorting at recycling stations.
Cardboard and paper waste paper
- Newspapers and advertisements
- Drink cartons and other food cartons
- Writing paper
Do not throw away
- Paper plates and cups
- Napkins or paper towels
Plastic waste
- Packaging in clean plastic that has been used food and other consumer products
- Plastic bags and plastic wrap
- Bubble wrap
Food waste
- Food scraps without packaging
- Peels and cores
- Fish remains
- Eggshells and nutshells
Recyclable bottles and cans
- Empty drinking cans and bottles with marked with the Norwegian "pant" symbol
Residual waste
- Cups and plates made of cardboard
- Gift wrapping
- Nappies/diapers and similar items
- Mixed packaging
- Plastic products that are not packaging
Internal collection points for various waste fractions
Cardboard and paper waste
In the 5th, 6th and 7th floors, and side by the the goods elevator in netween 2nd and 7th floors, there is a recycling station for cardboard and paper. For cardboard, it is an advantage to flatten out them before they are placed in the waste bin. Larger cardboard items are transported to the recycling room on the ground floor by sife of the compactor (see overview map).
Plastic waste
Source sorting for plastic at IBM only applies to pure foil plastic/packaging plastic that is bagged in the ground floor (see overview map).
Residual waste
Small remnants of paper, plastic and all contaminated plastic, and plastic items that it are natural to throw in residual waste bins, are residual waste. As a rule of thumb, these are emptied regularly by the cleaning staff.
Polystyrene/Styrofoam
Styrofoam bags are placed in a separate plastic bag in the waste room (1st floor). Small pieces of packing material are sorted as residual waste.
Additional resources
Additional information can be found here:
- Link to the HSE-gateway for waste
- Guidlines for handeling special- and problematic waste at UoB
- Environment status in Norway - waste
- Law regarding contamination and waste (Norwegian only)
- Regulation regarding radioactivity (Norwegian only)
Contact information and map
For questions regarding waste handling refer to the ontact person for hazardous- and problematic waste at IBM:
| Name | Tel. | |
|---|---|---|
| Juha Vahokoski | 55 58 60 53 | Juha.Vahokoski@uib.no |
